Dr. J. Michael Flynn April 2017
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Every April is known as the occasion for spring cleaning. The winter months have come and gone and it is time to take inventory of what needs to get “cleaned.” The starting point in spring cleaning, and in life, is to have goals and be motivated to accomplish them. Use your “head” to motivate yourself to get ahead. As Mark Twain said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
How important is motivation? You can be motivated to start and complete any task you set your mind to. That makes it very important. Don’t you just love to be around someone who is motivated? Think of that teacher who is enthusiastic about influencing their students to get motivated to learn. Motivated teachers inspire us with lessons to seize opportunities that will create a better life - opportunities that are founded on principles of effort, ethics, discipline and positive expectations.
Bringing enthusiasm to every responsibility of daily living should not be difficult. Not if you’re motivated to succeed. Check your attitude - it plays a large part in your motivation. With the right attitude you don’t have to stress yourself out while achieving success.
It is reasonable to say that motivation is built on three basic elements. (1) a need to achieve something, (2) developing a love to learn, and (3) having the ability to overcome barriers and bounce back from discouragement or failure.
What do you want to achieve? Include being healthier at the top of the list - which has a strong link to being happier. If you have to motivate yourself to drink more water, eat nutritious food, think more positive and exercise regularly - then do it! The results will lead you to feeling better and having more energy to achieve goals you set for yourself. Get motivated to break bad habits which may be preventing you from achieving anything. Procrastination is one of those bad habits - it is kind of the opposite of getting started.
Developing a love to learn is a good way to get motivated. Love is one of the most powerful motivators. Learning is the road to opportunities to grow in so many different ways - take that road.
The third key is crucial - overcoming barriers and bouncing back from failure. The inventor Thomas Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts before he invented the light bulb. He never gave up. Life is challenging - there are times of disappointments and there are times of great satisfaction. Pray that your failures are few and your joy is often.
Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-improvement. We have to get it through our sometimes selfish and hard “head” that we make decisions every day which influence the direction of our life. Being motivated to “know thyself” will help us build on our strengths and strengthen our weaknesses.
I heard the legendary motivational speaker Zig Zigler say once, “Some people say that motivation does not last. Well neither does bathing - that’s why I recommend it daily.”
Published in POV Magazine April 2017
